1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lining or interior material suitable for a structural body such as a door trim of an automotive vehicle, and to a method of producing such a lining with simple production process and apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of door trims or linings for the interior portions of an automotive vehicle have been proposed and put into practical use. A typical one of them is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,390. The conventional door trim or lining 1 in the U.S. Pat. is shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings of the present application. The lining 1 includes a lining base panel 2 which is formed by laminating a skin material 4 on the surface of a foundation panel 3. The lining base panel 2 is partitioned into contiguous surface areas by a groove 5. One of the surface areas is surrounded by the groove 5. A web 7 different in material from the skin material 4 is bonded to the surrounded surface area. The peripheral section 7A of the web 7 is forced into the groove 5 and fastened there, thus forming a decorative section of which periphery is defined by the groove 5. The skin material 4 is, for example, an artificial leather, while the web 7 is, for example, a cushioning material such as fibrous woven cloth or non woven cloth. The web 7 is fixed in position when forced into the groove 5 by virtue of restoration force due to the cushioning ability and thickness of the web 7.
However, difficulties have been encountered in the above conventional lining 1 as set forth below. If the width of the peripheral section 7A of the web 7 is larger than the depth of the groove 5, wrinkles due to slackening of the web 7 are unavoidably produced. If the same width is smaller than the same depth, fixation of the peripheral section 7A of the web 7 is insufficient only under the above restoration force due to thickness and the like, so that there is the possibility of the web peripheral section 7A being get out of the groove 5. Therefore, it is required to precisely regulate the depth and width of the groove 5, the thickness of the web 7 and the width of the peripheral section 7A of the web 7.
Additionally, since the web 7 has the cushioning ability as mentioned above, the web 7 has a thickness to some extent and therefore a step-like portion is formed between the lining base panel 2 and the decorative section (7). Further, a suitable jig is necessary in order to install the web 7 to the lining base panel 2. In this connection, in case of forming two or more decorative sections, two or more webs 7 must be installed respectively by two or more jigs, thereby making production of such the lining very troublesome.